Railway cross-tie.



No. 722x094.r PATRNTRD MAR; 3,1903.' f

D. FORD.

RAILWAY GRoss TIE. APPLIOATION; FILED SEPT. 5, 1902.

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IUNTTnb STATES PATnNT Grinch;

DAVID FORD, OF ALBION, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY CROSS-TIB SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,094, dated March 3, 11903l Application tiled September 5, 1902. Serial No. 122,219. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that l, DAVID FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albion, in

the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Railway Cross-Tie, of which the following is a speci- Iication.

The invention relates to improvements in railway cross-ties.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of cross-ties and to provide an exceedingly simple and inexpensive one of great strength and durability which will not 'be affected by moisture and which will form a 'firm support for the rails.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cross-tie constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View of one end of the cross-tie. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail perspec` tive view of one of the chairs. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one of the clamps. Fig. 6 is a reverse plan View of a portion of a chair, illustrating the construction of the clamp-receiving openings and the depending flanges.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 1 designate cement blocks forming the ends of a cross-tie and receiving metallic chairs 2, consisting of oppositely-tapered plates provided at their inner ends with arms 3, which are connected by a rod 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The blocks, which may be constructed of any suitable plastic material, are preferably strengthened by longitudinal wires or rods 5, which are emr bedded in the plastic material adjacent to the lower faces of the blocks, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The ends of the blocks are tapered, as shown, and the arms 3 are arranged at a slight inclination and are provided at their outer ends with perforations 6 for the reception of bolts 7 or other suitable fastening dewith a recess or cavity formed by a depending marginal iiange 8a and adapted to receive the plastic material, and the said chair is proin openings 17 of the chairs.

vided With a central depending integral arm forming a strut 9 and having a recess 10 at its lower end for the reception of a truss-rod ll. Thetruss-rodisprovidedwith oppositelyinclined portions, and its ends 12 extend upward to perforations of the chair and are threaded to receive nuts 13.

A rail 14 is clamped upon the chair at the center thereof by means of a pair of clamps 15,`engagiug the bottom flanges of the rails and secured to the chair by Vertical bolts 16. The boltspass through perforations of the clamps, and the outer portions thereof are provided with depending lugs or bosses to fit The openings consist of rectangular outer portions and inner narrow portions or slots, and the lugs conform to the conguration of the openings. The heads of the bolts are passed through the openings at the enlarged portions thereof and are arranged beneath the reduced or narlrow portions of the said openings by being moved inward. The nuts 18 of the bolts'are arranged at the upper faces of the engaging portions of the clamps, and the chairs are provided with depending anges 19, extending around the slots or openings 17. In order to lock the nuts against accidental vunscrewing, the clamps are provided at their engaging portions or jaws with grooves 20 for the reception of transverse portions of loops 21. The sides of the loops are bent downward slightly adjacent tothe grooves, and the said loops, which are hinged to the clamps, are adapted to swing upward and downward to engage and release the nuts. When arranged around the nuts, the latter are effectually prevented from accidentally unscrewing.

It will be seen that the cross-tie is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, that it is practicallyindestructible, and

that it forms a firm support for the rails.v That I claim is Y 1. A device of the class described compris# ing a body of plastic material, a chair having IOO a depending arm forming a strut and embedded in the plastic material, and a truss-rod engaging the lower end of the strut and secured at its ends to the chair, substantially as described. y

2. A device of the class described comprising end biocks constructed of plastic material, chairs provided with depending arms embedded in the blocks and forming struts, truss-rods engaging the struts and secured at their ends to the chairs, and a rod connecting the chairs, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described comprising a chair having an opening provided with an inner reduced portion, a clamp provided 

